What's Best For Her
by auntiesnixtana
Summary: After a bad car accident, Britt becomes overly protective of her pregnant wife. At first it's a sweet gesture but when her protectiveness consumes her life & affects their relationship, Santana has to help her through her fears before the baby is born.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the hit Fox show **Glee**, nor do I own any of the characters. The following is strictly fan fiction. No copyright infringement was intended.

Plot: After Brittany and Santana get into a car crash, Brittany becomes overly protective of her pregnant wife. At first it's a sweet gesture but when her protectiveness begins to consume her life and affect their relationship, it's up to Santana to help the love of her life through her fears before the baby is born.

Please check out my Glee tumblr: auntiesnixtana :)

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>What's Best For Her<strong>

By Cheyenne (auntiesnixtana)

Copyright: March 2012

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><p>Brittany stood there hysterical, her hands covered in blood. Her long blonde hair looked ragged and she had dirt smudges on her face. Her shirt was torn and blood trickling down her forearm from the gash on her upper arm. Her stomach felt twisted and her head pounded. She found it difficult to catch her breath as she panicked, looking around for an answer. She was becoming more and more panic-stricken as the nurses at the hospital tried to calm her but couldn't provide an answer to the question she kept asking. Despite her left arm pounding with pain, all Brittany could focus on is whether her wife was alright.<p>

The event kept replaying through her head. She kept trying to see if there was some way they could've completely avoided that car. The police told her before she got into the ambulance that she swerved at just the right time; it didn't feel like that to Brittany. She felt as though she'd swerved too late, if only she could've known the car was coming. Maybe if they had left just a few minutes earlier or later, they wouldn't have been there right at that moment. Maybe if they hadn't stayed at the mall so long, or gone to get a bite to eat after it would've been different.

"Is she going to be okay?" Brittany tried once again to inquire about Santana's condition. Her beautiful dark haired wife had been riding in the passenger seat when the car crashed and Santana had been taken to the hospital unconscious.

They had been driving when the other car swerved into their lane. Brittany saw the car coming and turned the wheel, attempting to avoid a possibly deadly head-on collision, only to run their car into tree on the side of the road. She had blanked out for a moment, and when she slowly opened her eyes she couldn't help but feel a searing pain rip through her arm. She glanced over at Santana, calling her name, becoming panicked when Santana wouldn't open her eyes.

The event kept replaying in her head; she had begun crying as she hysterically attempted to unlock her seatbelt that seemed jammed. Finally she managed to calm herself enough to stop shaking and unclick it, then fully turning to her wife. "Santana! Come on baby," Brittany cried, lightly touching her wife, trying to analyze her condition, "please baby wake up."

The girls hadn't been alone for long when a fire truck and ambulance showed up. A young man managed to get the reluctant dancer out of the car who kept crying her wife's name. She watched as two paramedics carefully pulled her wife from the car, attempting to stabilize her neck in case she had broken it. They placed Santana on a gurney and rushed her towards the ambulance, Brittany following behind them, crawling in after to ride with her. She ignored the pain in her arm, being only able to focus on her wife's well-being.

Santana laid there unconscious, bloody dripping from a gash above her left eyebrow. She looked so small lying there defenseless on the gurney and Brittany felt useless and unable to do anything which horrified her.

"Mrs. Pierce?" Brittany's eyes grew wide as a kind faced middle-aged nurse took her arm and sat her down in a chair, attempting to calm her down, "relax darling, the doctors are with her now. Now, while the doctors are with her why don't you let me attend to your arm? That was you'll be all fixed up when you can go see her."

Brittany nodded as the nurse slowly lead her down the hall. When they got to the room the nurse helped Brittany onto the table and began to address her wound. As Brittany groaned when she attempted to clean it, the nurse explained she was going to need some stitches. Brittany nodded, staring at her.

"Is she going to be okay?"

"Your wife? Well, she's bumped up pretty badly," the nurse replied as she gave Brittany a needle that would freeze her arm so she could give her some stitches, "but we'll know soon enough if there're any serious injuries."

"What about the baby?" Brittany blurted out crying.

"The baby?"

"Santana's five months pregnant," she continued to weep.

The nurse put a hand on Brittany's shoulder and gently smile, attempted to calm her. "The doctors are going to run an ultrasound and have everything checked out," she said. "So you just need to hang time, your wife is a fighter, I'm sure she'll come out of this alright."

"What- what happens if the baby- if she loses the baby I mean," she attempted to choke out.

"Then you need to try to be strong and help her through that," the nurses gently said, "losing a child can be a very difficult thing."

Brittany nodded, knowing far too well about that already. A little over a year ago they had decided they were ready to have a child, so after several fertility treatments and doctors' appointments Santana had finally gotten pregnant. Their doctor had warned that there was the possibility that she would miscarriage, and unfortunately the possibility became a reality very quickly. It had been after meeting their high school friend Quinn Fabray for dinner while Santana was driving home with Brittany in the passenger seat that she suddenly flinched. She groaned and placed a hand on her abdomen, her breath shaky as she attempted to stay focused on the road. Brittany looked up at her and placed a hand on her shoulder, watching Santana slowly become pale. She told her wife to pull over, which Santana immediately did, feeling as though she was going to throw up. Suddenly Santana gasped, about to cry in fear as she noticed blood soaking through her skirt. Brittany jumped into action and helped Santana to get into the passenger seat as Brittany switched seats with, then began speeding into the hospital. She remembered doing her best to keep her eyes on the road, but her eyes keep shifting back to Santana's panicked and pale state.

Tears continued to stream down Brittany's face as she thought back to that night and when they had been told Santana lost the baby. It had been such a hard blow to them, especially Santana whose fear came true. It took a lot of courage for Santana to push down her fears of losing another child in order to try to conceive again. Once they had been told that she was once again pregnant, Santana was overjoyed, and Brittany couldn't help but notice Santana very paranoid about losing the baby and was more hesitant to tell people the good news just in case. Even after they had been cleared through the high risk miscarriage phase, Santana was still wary, being extra careful for a while.

Brittany couldn't image how Santana would react to losing another child, especially having made it to five months. It was no longer the fact that they knew they were pregnant; they had seen the baby through the ultrasound. They had made is so much further, psychologically this baby was much more of a reality, much more real. It was no longer a tiny possibility; it was a real live being inside of her. They had watched the baby begin to develop and everything, it wasn't just a dot on the screen anymore. She could only image Santana's reaction if she'd lost this one.

For the next few hours Brittany attempted to keep herself calm and distracted by reading magazines and drinking coffee. A few police officers had shown up to get some statements and talk to her about the accident, once again telling her that the accident could have been much worse had she not had such fast reflexes. They spoke with her about coming into the police station later in the week, after her wife was taken care of. After they left she continued to attempt to distract herself but all her mind seemed to do was wonder back to Santana and when the doctor would come out. Brittany, herself, had only received a few stitches on her left arm where she had been cut by some glass, but otherwise she had only suffered a few bumps and bruises.

After what seemed like years to Brittany, a doctor came out, walking towards her. Brittany's heart pounded as she saw the woman walking towards her with a clipboard in hand and an unreadable expression. "Mrs. Pierce?" she asked, confirming if Brittany was in fact Mrs. Pierce. Brittany nodded anxiously. "Hi, I'm Dr. Turner. I was just with your wife."

"How is she? Is she okay?"

"She's going to be fine. She has a mild concussion and had to get a few stitches above her left eyebrow, and has a bit of a sprained right wrist. She'll probably be very sore because of the whiplash, but thankfully she is just very bumped and bruised," the doctor smiled. "It could have been a lot worse."

"And the baby-"

"Is fine," Dr. Turner reassured. "She is very lucky being about five months in. We're going to keep her overnight, maybe two nights depending on how the baby's doing, and monitor her condition their condition, but currently everything looks okay."

"Thank god."

"She may feel faint or light headed over the next few days, so when she's released you'll need to keep an eye on her and if there is anything out of the ordinary then bring her back in. It's best to try and keep her calm, relaxed, and stress free for the next while so that her body has an easier time healing."

"Alright, thank you," Brittany said, relieved. "Can I see her now?"

"Of course, she's in room 355. Take the elevator to the third floor and it will be down the hall on your left."

"Thank you."

Brittany smiled and wiped away the tears that fell, relieved that her wife and child were okay. She had so many horrible images and thoughts running through her mind over the best few hours of how horrible things could have turned out. But currently she was okay, the baby was okay, and most importantly to Brittany, Santana was okay.

Brittany tapped lighting on the door as she reached the hospital room, smiling gently as she saw the dark haired beauty lying there with one hand on her stomach and the other to her side. Brittany sighed; Santana looked so small and fragile.

"Hey sweetheart," Brittany softly said as she pulled up a chair to sit next to her, taking Santana's hand as she groggily turned her head to look at her.

"Hi," Santana weakly whispered, clearly very exhausted. "What happened?"

"We got into a car accident," Brittany answered. "Someone swerved into our lane. I was told everyone is a little bumped up but going to be okay, even the other driver."

"The baby-" Santana started, gently rubbing her hand over her growing baby bump. Brittany took her free hand and placed it on top of Santana's, gently and protectively.

"Is going to be fine," Brittany replied. "We're all really lucky."

"Can we go home?"

"The doctors want to keep you overnight for observation."

"I hate hospitals."

"I know honey, but it's to keep an eye on you and the baby, okay?" Brittany kissed her hand. "And I'm not going to leave your side. So close your eyes and get some sleep, you're exhausted and you need to get all the rest you can get." Brittany sat up straight, alarmed as she watched Santana groan and attempt to move herself, "what's wrong? Do you need a nurse?"

"Will you lie with me?" Santana whispered to her with pleading eyes, she was both exhausted and terrified. Brittany kissed her hand again and nodded.

She gently helped Santana shift over a little, careful not to tamper with any wires, before she sat on the bed and lay next to her wife, with her arms around her. She carefully stroked Santana's hair as Santana rested her head on Brittany's arm, comforted by her embrace.

Brittany smiled as she listened to Santana's shaky and panicked breathing swiftly become slower and much more relaxed. She was thankful she could bring her wife such peace.

She continued to stroke Santana's hair long after her wife fell asleep, thankful she could hold her pregnant wife safely in her arms. After the crash, she hadn't the slightest clue what condition Santana would be in, to felt blessed both she and the baby were going to be alright.

Brittany kissed the top of her head, as she attempted and failed to hold back tears. Brittany held her wife tightly but gently, determined never to let her go, and promised herself she would never let anything like this happen again. She couldn't bear to go through another horrifying ordeal with her. She would keep Santana protected and safer for now on.

She just wanted her wife to be safe, and she was determined to make her so.

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><p>"Well, Santana, your charts are looking good," Dr. Turner smiled as she entered the hospital room, staring at her young patient whose hands were interlocked with the blonde's.<p>

"Does that mean I can go home?" Santana asked as Brittany kissed her hand. "I just want to lay in my bed."

"Well theoretically you can, as long as you follow specific rest and care instructions, but I highly recommend staying another night," her doctor replied. "Since you're pregnant it may be better to stay an extra precaution, so we can keep an eye on you and the baby. Plus your stress levels and temperature is a little high, so I'd like to monitor those."

"We'll be fine; I'll follow instructions and rest-"

"Santana," Brittany said firmly, shooting her a look.

Santana's eyes grew wide as she stared into her wife's. Brittany's beautiful blue eyes were slightly glassy and screamed worry. Santana took a deep breath as she broke eye contact with her and turned to the nurse, "can you give us a bit to talk?"

"Of course," Dr. Turner replied as she left the room. Once she left and shut the door, Santana reconnected her eye contact with Brittany who was still staring at her.

"Britt, I'm fine and you know I hate hospitals," Santana said softly, "I really don't want to stay."

"Dr. Turner thinks it's a good idea that you do," Brittany replied, "and she is a doctor after all. I think you should listen to her."

"But-"

"Look," Brittany cut her off, turning to look at her more directly, "I know better than anyone how much doctors and hospitals freak you out, but we are going to be seeing doctors a lot in these next four months and more after that once the baby is born."

"I know but-"

"Let me finish," Brittany said as Santana closed her mouth and did so. "When we crashed I didn't know what was going to happen to you or me or us. I didn't know if you were going to wake up or if we'd lost the baby. I panicked. Seeing you so broken last time when you had that miscarriage broke my heart more than losing the baby did. Whether we go home tonight or tomorrow still means you have to be on bed rest this week, but if Dr. Turner thinks you should stay one more night so they can keep an eye on you that probably means something could still possibly go wrong. I don't want to leave until they completely clear you, feeling confident that you and the baby are fine."

"Britt…"

"Please Santana," Brittany begged. "Just one more night, and I'll try to make it as comfortable as possible. I promise I won't leave you. I'll call Quinn to bring you your pajamas from home, or take out food, or a better pillow if you want. I'll-"

"Fine," Santana said sadly, knowing how determined Brittany was to get her to stay another night. She loved her wife for caring, she just hated hospitals.

"Thank you," Brittany kissed her forehead, careful not to touch her stitches.

"Just don't leave me, okay?" Santana begged.

"Never," Brittany gripped her hand tightly and kept kissing it, "thank you, thank you, thank you…. Did you want me to call Quinn to bring you something better than hospital food for dinner tonight?"

"Sure," Santana nodded as Brittany placed a kiss on her lips, showering her in affection for agreeing to stay overnight.

Before she could continue talking there was a knock on the door. The two women looked over as Dr. Turner entered the room slowly, "so have we come to a conclusion?"

"She's going to stay another night," Brittany replied.

"I'm glad to hear it."

"Is she allowed to eat something other than hospital food tonight?" the pale skinned beauty asked. "I'm going to have someone bring something for her."

"Yes that should be fine," the forty-two year old doctor nodded. "Just keep to the diet she's on now, nothing spicy, nothing raw, etc, and she should be fine. Since she's still a little weak I'd recommend something that'll go down easy."

"Perfect," Brittany smiled, "thank you doctor."

Dr. Turner nodded as she looked at Santana, "I'll be back in a few hours to check your temperature and run a few tests, so in that time you should get some rest. The more sleep you get the quicker your body will recover and the better it'll be for your stress levels and the health of your baby."

"Alright, thank you doctor," Santana nodded as her doctor left. She glanced at Brittany who looked at her.

"Why don't you get some rest?" Brittany smiled, "I'll call Quinn and have her bring you some chicken noodle soup or something. Does that sound good?"

"Yeah," Santana sighed.

"Just think, the more you sleep the quicker time will pass and the sooner you'll be lying in our bed at home," Brittany grinned.

"I guess, just don't go anywhere," Santana replied. Brittany nodded knowing how nervous hospitals made her wife. She was never quite sure why, especially since Santana's father was a doctor, but something about the environment and doctors put her wife on edge, and that was just something that Brittany would have to try to work with over the next six months when Santana had her appointments.

"Of course not. I'll be here when you wake up," Brittany smiled kissed her.

"With soup."

"Yeah, with soup," Brittany smirked. She stroked her wife's cheek until Santana's eyelids slowly closed and she drifted off to sleep.

Brittany couldn't wait until Santana was completely cleared to go home and she could take care of her wife in the comfort of their own house. She hated seeing Santana uncomfortable but she would have to put up with it until they were in the clear.

She placed one more kiss on her wife's head before walking to the corner of the room, attempting to be quiet as she placed her call to Quinn. She was going to do her best to make sure Santana was as relaxed and calm as possible for the night, and remind her that they would be home soon.

And Brittany couldn't wait.

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><p>I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Reviews and recommendations are always welcome! I will do my best to get the next chapter up soon. - Cheyenne<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own the hit Fox show **Glee**, nor do I own any of the characters. The following is strictly fan fiction. No copyright infringement was intended.

Plot: After Brittany and Santana get into a car crash, Brittany becomes overly protective of her pregnant wife. At first it's a sweet gesture but when her protectiveness begins to consume her life and affect their relationship, it's up to Santana to help the love of her life through her fears before the baby is born.

Please check out my Glee tumblr: auntiesnixtana :)

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>What's Best For Her<strong>

By Cheyenne (auntiesnixtana)

Copyright: March 2012

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><p>Brittany struggled to open the front door with her right hand while she held onto her wife with her left. Since they had left the hospital she had been careful to keep an eye on Santana since the doctor told her that Santana needed major bed rest and would most likely get waves of dizziness and the last thing they wanted was her falling over or collapsing.<p>

"Britt, honey, I'm fine to walk on my own," Santana said lightly as if she was half asleep. It wouldn't be a shock if she was, she had spent so long complaining about staying the extra night in the hospital, she probably wore herself out.

Brittany smiled sweetly and nodded, "I'm sure you can, I just want to be on the safe side."

Santana sighed and complied, not wanting to argue her wife's good intentions. Brittany lead her over to the living room couch, and helped her sit down and get comfortable. Brittany smiled lovingly as she put a pillow behind Santana's back as the dark haired beauty laid down.

"Would you like a blanket?" she asked.

"No, I'm a little warm," Santana replied drowsily.

Brittany frowned as she placed a hand on her forehead, "you do feel a little warm…. I'll go make you some tea. Just relax, close your eyes."

"I really want to shower Britt," Santana replied, "I feel disgusting."

"The doctors said you can't get your stitches wet."

"I haven't showered in days Britt," Santana said, close to tears, "I shower every night, do you have any idea how gross I feel?"

"Okay, okay," Brittany said gently as she kneeled beside Santana and stroked her hair gently and lovingly. Often when Santana was overly tired she tended to get emotional over little things. She had spent half the night awake in the hospital on edge, not wanting to be there, and attempting to keep Brittany company which she didn't need to do. Even when Brittany made her own attempt to drift off to get a few hours rest she could sense Santana awake. When you've slept next to someone for as long as they have you could always tell when the other was awake or asleep. Brittany could always tell whether Santana was lying awake or sleeping based on her breathing pattern. When she slept her breath was lighter, it sounded almost peaceful and heavenly. Brittany always loved when she rested her head on Santana's chest as Santana drifted to sleep. It felt so relaxing and comforting. During her day Santana was typically tense and moody so her breath was heavy and tight, but when she slept it was like a whole new Santana. But no matter the version, Brittany loved her life.

"How about you catch up on a few hours of sleep, and then when you wake up I'll help you take a bath and wash your hair without wetting your stitches," Brittany kissed her wife's hand, looking up at her with full eyes, "deal?"

"Deal," Santana smiled as she slowly closed her eyes in an attempt to catch up on the rest she missed out on at the hospital.

Once her wife closed her eyes Brittany placed a kiss on her forehead before heading upstairs. Once she reached the bedroom she headed towards their bathroom which had the larger tub. When apartment hunting, Santana had insisted on a place that had a bathroom with a large tub. She constantly reminded Brittany how much she had enjoyed taking bubble baths in an attempt to woo her over in splurging the extra money for the tub. Brittany agreed, quickly enough, and hasn't regretted the tub one bit.

Brittany yawned as she entered the room. She felt exhausted. In the hospital she had done nothing except continuously try to encourage Santana to get some rest so felt guilty if she didn't make the attempt herself. She had learned from years with Santana that often she had to lead by example, and that was one of those times. However, every time she attempted to close her eyes she was shaken awake by horrifying visions or dreams about the accident. She kept imagining Santana lying there bleeding and lifeless, or dreaming about the doctor telling her she or the baby didn't make it. She felt constantly under anxiety attacks every time she stopped to think. She spent most of the night lying next to her dark-haired wife, staring at her, watching her sleep as she held her in her arms, afraid to let her go.

She sighed as she walked by the dresser and stopped to stare at the pictures. She slowly picked one up, staring at it. It was a picture of her and Santana during the summer of their graduation. It was of Brittany with her arm around Santana's waist pulling her in for a kiss while holding an ice cream cone far away from her. Brittany smiled remembering that day. The glee club members decided to get together and go to the beach. Right before the picture had been taken Brittany bought an vanilla ice cream that Santana took from her and attempted to eat, so when she wasn't looking Brittany took it from her, pulled her close and kissed her. The photo was taken without either of them noticing. Blaine had just invested in a new camera and snapped the photo of them. He gave the photo to them a month later, and they'd kept it ever since. It was once of Brittany's favorites.

The blonde beauty put the photo down and began looking at a few more, closely analyzing them. There was one of her and Quinn, and one of Santana between Kurt and Blaine at their wedding in New York about a year ago. They boys had asked the two of them to be in their wedding party. Brittany picked up another of Santana lying on their bed. She was sleeping on her stomach with a sheet half covering her body. Brittany smiled. She had taken the photo on the morning after they got married. Santana rested to peacefully and looked so beautiful lying there that Brittany had to take a photo. Her long dark hair was spread cross the pillow and her tanned back exposed. She looked like an angel as she slept.

Brittany slowly took a seat on the end of their bed as she stared at the photo allowing her tears to run down her cheeks. She had been so close to losing her. She almost lost the most beautiful woman in the world, the woman carrying their child, the love of her life: her wife.

Brittany couldn't help but think had things been different she could've been sitting on the bed looking at a photo of her late-wife. She sighed as she wiped away her tears and put the photo back before fixing herself up. She didn't want Santana to see that she had been upset. She quickly fixed her mascara and made herself look as though she'd never shed a tear.

After she was done she began to run the bath water, knowing the tub took a while to fill. She put some lavender powder in the tub so that the water would smell soapy and soothing for Santana. As the water filled Brittany went downstairs and made her wife some earl gray tea which she took upstairs and left on the bathroom counter so Santana could drink it in the bath as she desired. She also grabbed some red grapes, knowing that she might be hungry and she never quite understood Santana's love of eating cold red grapes while taking bubble baths, but she didn't argue if it made her wife happy.

"Britt?" she looked up as she heard her wife's voice. "Britt?"

"Coming San, don't move," Brittany said as she walked out of that bathroom and headed to the stairs. She frowned as she saw Santana slowly walking towards her. Brittany looked at her watch and sighed, she'd only slept an hour. Brittany had hoped she would've slept more, but at least she got an hour. She knew Santana was antsy to bathe, so perhaps the warm water would make her sleepy and being clean would help her relax. "Santana, I told you not to-"

"I'm not an invalid honey," Santana kissed her. "I can't sleep feeling so-"

"I know," Brittany said taking her arm, "I just wish you would've let me help you up. How are you feeling?"

"Just tired and-"

"Dirty, I know," Brittany cut her off laughing, knowing what she would say. She took Santana's arm and slowly helped her up the stairs towards their bedroom. Once they reached the bedroom Santana smiled.

"Oh Britt," she smiled looking around, smelling the scent of lavender. Brittany had dimmed the lights and lit a few scented candles, making the aura very calming.

"If you won't rest in the hospital or on the couch I figured you'd rest here," Brittany grinned as she slowly took Santana's sweater off her. Brittany couldn't help but notice Santana holding onto her arm for support. She could feel Santana shaking due to exhaustion so gently but swiftly helped her undress.

Once her clothes were removed Brittany held her arms and gently helped her into the tub, careful not to hurt her. She grabbed the cold cloth she had previously wet and folded it before placing it behind Santana's head, watching as she slowly closed her eyes and took a deep breath, finally unwinding for real. Brittany smiled as she watched Santana finally relaxing and looking at ease.

Brittany softly stroked her wife's arm, running her hand up and down, soothing her. As she watched Santana rest she attempted to hold back her tears that were beginning to surface again. Brittany couldn't get over how beautiful and fragile she looked. Brittany placed a kiss on Santana's arm and watched as the edges of her lips curled, drowsily attempting to smile. That was all Brittany needed to make her feel at ease herself, that slight gesture from the love of her life, telling her she was okay.

"I'll go grab another towel for your neck," Brittany said as she rose to Santana nodding. She took one last glance at the resting Latina before she left the bathroom and headed down the hallway. As she opened the hall closet and pulled out a medium sized purple towel she heard Santana call her name.

"Britt?" she glanced up as she heard Santana say her name. "Britt?"

"Coming," Brittany replied as she closed the closet door.

"Britt!" Brittany's heart skipped a beat as Santana yelled her name desperately.

She rushed down the hallway back towards the bedroom as fast as her legs would carry her. She stopped at the bathroom doorway as she saw Santana sitting there, staring down at the water, eyes wide and jaw dropped, looking into space in shock.

Brittany walked towards her and dropped down besides the tub, observing her wife. "Santana, what happened? Is it the baby?" Brittany put her hands on her arms and studied her face. When Santana didn't respond, simply sitting there speechless with her hands on her stomach, Brittany adjusted herself to get up, "I'm calling the hospital."

The tall blonde stopped as Santana took her arm and slowly shook her head. Brittany took her wife's face in her hands and looked her in the eyes, "Santana if-"

"I think the baby kicked," Santana finally said, her eyes wide. She shakily took the blonde's hands from her face and place them on her stomach so that Brittany could feel the light kicks that were spontaneously happening inside her.

Brittany's eyes grew wide as she felt a small tap against the palm of her hand, making her heart skip a beat. She was in shock, she'd never felt anything like it, nor had she ever felt such lovingness and joy. Santana smiled and placed a hand on her wife's check, both women unable to speak but feeling closer than they ever had before.

Brittany smiled as she stroked Santana's stomach, running her fingers over her smooth skin. She could believe how connected she felt to Santana and her child. Brittany sighed as she noticed Santana grinning as she rested her head back against the rub, closing her eyes.

"No, don't stop," Santana said as she felt Brittany's hands leave her stomach.

Brittany sighed as she grabbed the towel she brought and rolled it up. She carefully helped Santana lift her head and neck so that she could place it behind her, making her wife more comfortable. Once the towel was place, Brittany kneeled next to the tub, continuing to stroke Santana's dark skin and run her over her stomach, smiling every time she felt a tap. As she sat there soothing her wife she smiled as she noticed Santana finally drifted off to sleep with a small grin on her face.

For the first time in days Brittany finally felt at ease.

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><p>Santana smiled as she stared at herself in the mirror. She placed a hand on her stomach and tilted her head. She sighed, feeling oddly content with the way she looked. Her whole life she had constantly been concerned with her weight and being thin. All through high school and University she constantly felt the need to remain thin. She set herself to a strict and incredibly unhealthy diet, and did her best to get out every day in an attempt to work off with little calories she'd consumed. She never imagined she'd be so happy with a large stomach. If they had been back in high school she'd never want to carry a child, complaining that carrying a child would ruin her body.<p>

However after she met Brittany things began to change. Originally, she had always envisioned Brittany being the pregnant one. She couldn't get the idea of her beautiful blonde wife glowing with a large belly. Santana loved the idea of taking care of Brittany for nine months, doing everything for her and showering her with love. It wasn't until after they got married and started discussing children that Santana became open to the idea of carrying a child herself.

Eventually they had decided that Brittany would carry their first child but about a week before their first appointment Santana had a change of heart and wanted more than anything to carry their first child. Brittany had happily agreed first because she wanted to be able to take care of Santana, and second because it would be easier to maintain her career as a choreographer, and occasional performer.

After her miscarriage Santana felt like she was on an emotional roller coaster. She felt so numb inside, unable to comprehend what had happened. She felt so guilty as if it was her fault. What if she had done something differently, taken better care of herself, rested more. She knew she wasn't very far into the pregnancy and her doctor had warned her there was the possibility that it could happen but she never imagined it would. She would lie awake at night unable to think of anything but the loss of their child. She wouldn't eat and continuously cried. She thought that was the worst part. She would just cry at everything, every little thing reminded her of her miscarriage and it horrified her. She felt incredibly sorry for Brittany, she could tell her wife wanted to grieve but she found herself unable to and Santana knew that it was because she felt the need to take care of her.

Eventually Santana came to terms with what happened and was determined to try again. Brittany wanted her to see a grief counsellor before they tried again but Santana assured her that she was fine, that she just needed some time to get out all her emotions and work through her hormone overload.

When Santana became pregnant again she took extra care of herself. She started herself on an all organic diet and did her best to eat properly and frequently. When they reached the point of her pregnancy when she had previously had her miscarriage she and Brittany became on edge but did their best to support each other and keep calm.

Making it to the end of Santana's first trimester and being cleared by the doctor through the high risk miscarriage phase took an extraordinary amount of stress off their shoulders, and it seemed all uphill from there.

Santana smiled as she admired her stomach, jumping as Brittany knocked on the bedroom door, "what are you doing up?"

"Nothing," Santana replied, "just changing out of pajamas. I never thought I'd get to annoyed wearing them."

"Alright, well you should really be resting."

"I've been resting for days Britt, I'm fine."

"I'm not going to argue with you," Brittany replied staring at Santana until the dark haired beauty sat down, knowing Brittany wouldn't let up just as she hasn't all week. "Howard's on the phone for you."

Santana raised an eyebrow as she took the phone from her wife's hand, unsure of why her boss was calling her. He knew she was off for another week because of the accident. Santana sat back in their bed, resting against the pile of pillows before placing the phone to her ear.

"Hey Howard," she said to the man she had grown incredibly close to over the years. Not a day went by in the office that she didn't see him. Whether it be one of them dropping off coffee for the other, going for lunch, or having a company meeting, there was always some point in the day that they greeted each other. Howard was a slightly larger, older gentleman with greying hair and soft eyes. Although the sweetest man anyone could ever meet, he was a very fierce business man. Years ago he decided to take Santana under his wing at the company and together they pulled the company out of the ground and made it one of the most successful producing companies around. Eventually Howard was named President of the company and approximately a year later the Vice President retired and Santana was promoted to the position. She felt a strong satisfaction for that fact that no one could boss her around, that is, except for Howard who never did.

"Hey Sweetheart, how are you feeling?"

"Not bad," Santana replied, "I've been resting all week. How is everything running there? I'm sorry I left you with all that work."

"Santana, are you crazy?" Howard laughed, "you were in an accident, work is the last thing you should be focusing on."

"Well, I still feel bad," she responding with a grin, "and oddly I miss bringing you your morning coffee."

"Yeah, I miss that too now I have to remember to get my own damn coffee," he laughed. "You always seemed to predict the mornings I was rushed, but I'll tell you what. We'll go for lunch sometime this week."

"That sounds lovely," Santana smiled. "Perhaps when I come back to work."

Santana narrowed her eyes and gestured her hand for Brittany to leave if she was going to continue frowning and making annoyed faces. She sighed as Brittany refused to budge but simply leaned against the doorway.

"Well that's what I was calling to talk to you about," Howard replied gently. "I think in all the time you've worked here the only time you've taken time off is during well- sorry to bring it up but your miscarriage, and now this accident."

"I know," Santana rubbed her forehead then looked up to gesture to Brittany that she was fine when her wife looked like she was about to dart to her side. "I don't seem to have the best of luck."

"That's why I'm calling," Howard said. "I love you like a daughter, you're my friend, and someone I consider my best friend. I'm telling you this because I'm concerned about your health. I think you should take some vacation time and take your maternity leave early, to get some rest and prepare for the baby."

"Howard-"

"Santana-"

"Howard, I can't just leave the office like that," Santana replied, unsure of what to say. "Just piling all my work on someone, abandoning you and the office-"

"The office is running smoothly, I'm sure we can function without you for a while, and if not we can always pull someone to do your job until you return."

"Do my job?"

"Your position is secured honey, and it will be here when you get back after you finish your maternity leave, but for now focus on you and the baby."

"Howard, I was really depending on working the next few months-"

"Santana, you have never taken any vacation days and have worked an unruly amount of unpaid overtime hours to pull this company out of the ground," Howard laughed. "Take this as full pay vacation time."

"Howard, I can't, that is too generous."

"My gift to you," Howard laughed. "Just promise me lunch next week if you're up for it, and when you have that beautiful baby you let their Uncle Howard shower them with gifts. Deal?"

Santana laughed, "deal. God Howard, what did I ever do to deserve a friend like you?"

"Just lucky I guess," he chuckled. "Take care honey, and call me about next week."

"Will do," she said before hanging up, "take care."

"What was that about?" Brittany asked as she watched Santana hang up the phone.

Santana sighed as she explained her conversation with Howard and how she was going to start her vacation/maternity leave early in order to relax and recuperate without stress which she could tell Brittany was overjoyed about. Brittany had earlier expressed her concerns about Santana returning to work the following week, but now she hadn't worried about it.

Santana bit her lip as she stared at Brittany unable to decided how she wanted to approach her question for Brittany, but finally she decided to just be direct, "honey are you going back to work next week?"

"I don't know yet," Brittany replied.

"Are you going back to work at all?"

"Maybe, I need to think about it."

"Britt, there's no reason you can't go back," Santana said, trying to tread carefully. "I'll be fine here alone."

"I know but," Brittany shook her head. "It's fine, let's not talk about this now. Let's just be happy you're getting paid to rest! That's exciting."

"Yeah," Santana forced a smile, staring at her wife.

Santana wasn't quite sure what she thought of the situation. Sure she was thrilled she got time off with pay but she wasn't sure she was thrilled Brittany wanted to take time off. Over the last week Brittany had done nothing but watch her like a hawk, observing her every move and action. She was constantly at her side and freaking out whenever Santana was out of bed or wanted to do a chore or two. She could tell Brittany was hardly sleeping, and focusing all her energy on obsessing over Santana which Santana hated.

Her lack of sleep was sending Brittany on edge and she could sense were wife was becoming paranoid over everything. She knew that the accident had affected Brittany, but she was beginning to fear the extent. She was worried Brittany's paranoia was taking a toll on her health. Maybe getting out of the house or going back to work would be good for her and get her mind off things.

However, Santana wasn't sure how to tread on the topic with Brittany without hurting her feelings or making it sound like she didn't want her around, because of course Santana loved being around Brittany. She married her for a reason after all. She just didn't like how Brittany's worry was hurting her.

Santana sighed as she smiled at Brittany, opening her arms for Brittany to come forward. She watched as thin beauty walked towards her and laid down beside her. Brittany resting one hand on Santana's stomach and put her other arm around her side, pulling Santana close and kissing her. Santana smiled, feeling loved.

She would talk to Brittany about work another day, right now she just wanted to spend some quality time with her wife.

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><p>I hope you all liked Chapter 2! Please review! Recommendations are always welcome! I will do my best to get the next chapter up soon. - Cheyenne<br>**Also for those who have asked, yes Quinn will be in this story, she will be making her first appearance in Chapter 3! Thank you so much for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own the hit Fox show **Glee**, nor do I own any of the characters. The following is strictly fan fiction. No copyright infringement was intended.

Plot: After Brittany and Santana get into a car crash, Brittany becomes overly protective of her pregnant wife. At first it's a sweet gesture but when her protectiveness begins to consume her life and affect their relationship, it's up to Santana to help the love of her life through her fears before the baby is born.

Please check out my Glee tumblr: auntiesnixtana :)

Note: Sorry if this Chapter has some spelling mistakes, I didn't have much time to re-read all of it.

Otherwise, Enjoy!

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><p><strong>What's Best For Her<strong>

By Cheyenne (auntiesnixtana)

Copyright: March 2012

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><p>Quinn Fabray stared at her dark haired friend as she stood in line next to her debating on what ice cream flavor to get. It had been a month since Santana's accident and Quinn could tell she was going insane being so housebound. Quinn had visited the couple the day after they got back from the hospital to see them. She had freaked out when she had received the call from Brittany who phoned her from the hospital, telling her what happened. She knew Brittany called because she needed to be calmed down and reassured. At the time she had phoned Quinn, she still wasn't able to see Santana who had been rushed away by doctors. It was completely understandable but the call was incredibly difficult for Quinn to take because she herself wanted to panic but she needed to remain calm and reassuring for her tall blonde haired friend. Once the couple returned home Quinn rushed over right away, to see for herself that the two were alright. When receiving news such as getting in a car crash it wasn't enough just to be told that her friends are alright, she had to see for herself. Besides, she thought of Brittany and Santana more as family than friends. She had arrived to Santana sleeping, and Brittany sitting up to watch her, keeping an eye on her. Quinn could tell Brittany herself hadn't rest much, so told her to get some shut-eye.<p>

"I can't," Brittany had replied drowsily, still shaken from the accident. "I'm so afraid she'll just stop breathing or something."

Quinn felt her heart break when she heard that and told Brittany to sleep and that she would keep an eye on Santana. After much convincing Brittany agreed and Quinn sat there for hours, watching Santana both for herself and for Brittany. She, herself, couldn't take her eyes off Santana who laid there motionless except for the rise and fall of her chest. She looked so innocent resting with a bunch of pillows around her, makeup-less, and with her stiches and bandages. Quinn couldn't stop herself from sitting there and imagining she had received a phone call telling her that her friends had crashed and Santana was dead. It was a horrible vision but it felt so close to being true. The call she received could have very well been a call telling her she had lost one of the most important people in her life, and that was too much for Quinn. So she sat staring at her friend, ready to rush to her aid if she woke. She also refused to take an eye off her in fear that Brittany would wake up and see that she hadn't kept her promise, and not trust Quinn again. Brittany was in such a fragile state; Quinn didn't want to do anything to upset her more.

A week or so later had Quinn arrived back at the Lopez-Pierce residence to find Santana folding laundry. Quinn had raised an eyebrow and cautiously entered the room, unsure what to say.

"Hey San, how are you doing?" Quinn forced a smile as she entered the bedroom, walking over to Santana, embracing her in a hug. She leaned against the dresser, observing her friend folding laundry. "Uh, what are you doing?"

"Folding."

"Yeah I see that," Quinn narrowed her eyebrows as she continued to watch her friend. In all the years she'd known Santana she'd never seen her do any chores and once Santana and Brittany had moved in together she began doing some chores but she'd always refused to fold laundry. Santana had worked for years in a retail position, spending her days continuously folding clothes, swearing to herself the day she quit she'd never fold again no matter how good she was at it. Quinn remembered Brittany once complaining that Santana was willing to do laundry as long as Brittany folded but yet there she was, folding away. "Yes, but you're folding laundry. You don't fold laundry."

"I'm bored."

"You're that bored you're doing something you despise?" Quinn watched as Santana looked at her before going to the bedroom door and closing it so that they had some privacy. "What is it?"

"It's Britt," Santana replied. "She has me on bed rest."

"Which is a good thing. You're supposed to be resting."

"But she has me on intense bed rest."

"Again-"

"No, you don't understand," Santana said walking towards her. "I had to spend twenty minutes convincing her to let me get out of bed and go downstairs to relax on the couch. Then we were watching a movie and I got up and she freaked out. I had to go to the bathroom. This baby makes me have to pee like mad. Besides with all these herbal drinks Brittany has me on it's no wonder I'm spending so much time in the bathroom."

"She's just worried about you."

"Yeah," Santana said, almost sadly. "I know, but I'm starting to worry about her. She isn't sleeping, she has yet to go back to work, she watches me like a hawk."

Quinn paused, not replying right away. She decided to tread on the topic carefully in order to get as much information as she could without seeming too pushy or inquisitive. It turned out that Santana was beginning to feel stressed, feeling under a microscope with Brittany watching her so closely. That she wanted Brittany to go back to work and get out of the house, that she needed to stop obsessing. Quinn had recommended that Santana talk to her wife, which turned out to be an interesting conversation later.

It wasn't long before Santana called her friend to express her disappointment in her wife. "She told me she would go back to work if she got an offer but she hasn't yet," Santana sighed, trying not to be angry but feeling slightly hurt had Brittany hadn't told her the truth. "Michael Bradford called the house looking for Brittany, but she was in the shower so I asked him if I could take a message. He asked me whether Britt had decided to accept his offer to choreograph his upcoming production. I don't know why she said she didn't have any offers when she has an amazing one right there! It's literally an eight week job, great pay, an amazing production, with a well-known direction. I'm just frustrated that she didn't tell me. I get that she is worried to leave me. I get that, I do, but Quinn it's been two weeks, I'm fine. I've been lazing around the house, and haven't been doing anything straining. She's fine to go back to work, besides, she needs to. She loves dancing and she needs to focus all her energy on something other than me."

Quinn had sighed. She had never known Santana to want Brittany to leave her be. For as long as she'd known them Santana had always basked in Brittany's affection and attention to her, and she had to admit this is the first time she had ever heard her say Brittany needed to leave her be, which flagged a signal in Quinn's mind to suggest to Brittany to take the job. She figured maybe a third party telling her to get out of the house and to take the job would convince her.

Eventually Brittany agreed and started rehearsals a week and a half later on the condition that Quinn checked on Santana while she was away. It was much easier for Quinn to rearrange her work schedule than Brittany if she had to choreograph and entire dance number and teach it in less than eight weeks. After Quinn graduated from Yale with honors with degree in psychology, she began working towards becoming a psychologist which she succeeded in, and became very successful as. Her schedule was constantly filled, and people were currently on waitlists to get an appointment with her. However, despite her crammed work schedule if she ever needed to get away she generally found it easy to reschedule people's appointments to do so.

"Decided?" Quinn asked as she watched Santana bite her lip, finding it difficult to make a decision. It was Brittany's first week at work and Quinn figured Santana would appreciate the time out. She was becoming antsy and felt so cramped inside, besides she definitely needed the fresh air.

"I think I'm going to go with double dark chocolate," Santana replied, "that or orange sherbet."

"Well I am going with the classic vanilla," Quinn laughed as she walked up to the counter, "what are you craving?"

"I don't know!" Santana laughed, "I love sherbet but I love double dark chocolate. Normally Britt will order one and I order the other… oh they have lime sherbet!"

Quinn laughed as she ordered and waited for Santana to finally make up her mind. Eventually she decided on sherbet, craving a fruity flavor.

After Quinn paid at the cash and they headed out Santana looked at her, "where did you want to go?"

"Wherever you'd like, it's your day," Quinn laughed. "What do you feel like doing? Going for a walk? The mall?"

"Shop," Santana said, a large smile lighting across her face. "I feel like I haven't been to the mall in forever!"

Quinn laughed as she took her pregnant friend's arm and headed towards her car.

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><p>Quinn and Santana spent the entire afternoon shopping, everything from new DVDs to house décor to new maternity clothes for Santana which she was seriously lacking. Quinn smiled as she saw her friend's face light up with each new purchase. Santana was clearly lacking any form of entertainment at the moment so shopping seemed to be like a field trip for her.<p>

As they walked out of the mall since they were too afraid of passing a shoe store and spending their next three paycheques on new footwear, Quinn turned as she noticed Santana staring at the store across the street.

"Want to go in and look around?" Quinn asked, seeing that Santana couldn't take her eyes off it.

"Sure."

"Let's drop our bags off in the car then."

After the girls put their belongings in Quinn's car they watched over to the large baby store, their pace as quick as it could be. Santana was clearly very excited to go in, but was slowed down by her growing belly.

Once they reached the store Santana stopped inside, it was the first time she had really had the chance to go into a baby store. At the beginning of both her pregnancies she had been too busy to shop for anything. The idea of actually shopping for a child was so surreal for her; it frightened her yet excited her all at once. Her heart pounded as she walked in further and began to look around. Once she reached the toy section she sighed as she picked up a tiny stuffed bunny rabbit, and stroked the fluff, looking at it sadly.

"What is it honey?" Quinn asked as she noticed Santana's sad eyes.

"I feel bad."

"Why?"

"I shouldn't be here with you. No offense," Santana added as she held the bunny in her hand. "Britt and I haven't gotten the chance to baby shop yet. With everything that's happened- I don't know…"

"No honey, that's completely understandable," Quinn replied.

"It's just we got so excited when I first got pregnant and after the miscarriage is just sort of scared us, so we stayed hesitant this time."

"Losing a baby is rough, it's perfectly normal that you two were nervous this time, but look, you're what? Six and a half months pregnant? You are incredibly healthy and everything looks good-"

"But the accident-"

"Was scary and out of nowhere. Freak accidents happen all the time, but think about it this way," Quinn put an arm on her friend comforting her, "you got into a bad accident and you survived. You _both_ survived. You're strong and so is this baby you're carrying. You'll be fine. In three and a half months, maybe a little less, you will deliver a beautiful and healthy baby. Do you understand me Mrs. Lopez-Pierce? You need to stop worrying because you will both make it. You're one of the strongest people I know so I know this baby will be too."

Santana smiled and nodded as she wiped away a tear. "Thanks Q."

Quinn embraced her friend in a tight hug and held her close, letting her know that she was there for her. She knew she was having a rough time. Getting over her miscarriage was the hardest thing Santana had ever needed to do. Quinn still remembered when Brittany called her to tell her what happened. Quinn was in shock, it had only been hours before that she'd seen a joyful pregnant Santana and then next she was so dark and emotionless. She had spiraled into depression so quickly it scared both Quinn and Brittany, along with everyone else around her. But this time was different. She had been in a crash, and she had survived and so had her baby. For all the fears, emotion, and worries running through Santana she was remaining incredibly strong and calm. Quinn was honestly more worried about Brittany who seemed to be pulling away from her and spending her days focused on her wife. She was refusing to talk about herself and seemed obsessed with Santana and her well-being, but as far as Quinn was concerned Santana was doing alright, especially physically which Brittany didn't seem to comprehend.

Quinn assumed Brittany's panic was being drawn from a place of fear of what happened to Santana after her miscarriage. She had to support, protect, and be there for her wife so much. Santana constantly cried and needed a lot of attention from her wife and Brittany took care of her better than anyone else could. However this time was different and Quinn assumed that Brittany was just fearful of anything happening to Santana and was attempting to protect her but all she was doing was flustering her wife. This time Santana didn't need overly attentive comforting supportive wife, and needed Brittany to be Brittany: normal, loving, and the perfect wife she usually is. Santana hated that Brittany was making caring for her consume her life.

"Can you hold this? I have to run to the washroom," Santana said as she placed the bunny in Quinn's hand and walked down the aisle.

Quinn nodded and sighed as her phone rang. She raised an eyebrow as she read Brittany's name on her caller ID. She smiled as she answered it, "hey Britt, how's rehearsal going?"

"Where the hell is Santana?" she heard Brittany exclaim on the other end.

"Relax Britt," Quinn tried to calm her, "she need to get out of the house so we went to the mall."

"How long have you been out? She's not supposed to be on her feet too long."

"Britt, she's fine. Trust me, I wouldn't have her out if I didn't think she was okay to be out," Quinn shook her head. "Why are you at rehearsal?"

"I left early today the director wanted to work with the cast," Brittany replied, Quinn could hear the frustration in her voice. "Could you bring her home soon please?"

"Britt, you need to relax."

"I'm fine," Brittany snapped. "I just wish you'd have told me you two were going out. It's only been a month since the crash alright, I'd like to know where she is."

"Brittany, she isn't a little kid."

"Don't lecture me Q," Brittany said aggressively. Quinn sighed, shaking her head. Brittany has always been a passive person, very sweet and never getting angry unless she felt threatened or really overly bothered by something. Quinn knew Brittany was protective of Santana, and it was clear her worries about her were causing her to become aggressive. It was very out of character for Brittany, so Quinn understood why Santana felt like she needed space.

"Brittany, calm down, I'm just saying she needed to get out and didn't want to bother you," Quinn said. "She knows you're busy at work and she's been with me the entire time."

Quinn waited as she heard Brittany sigh and calm a little on the other end, "alright, I'm sorry. It's just been a long day and I want to lay on the couch with my wife. I just over reacted."

"It's okay Britt," Quinn smiled. "I get it; you're under a lot of stress right now. I know you said you've had a long day, but any chance you'd be willing to make it longer?"

"What do you mean?"

"Santana's a little down right now, I was wondering if you could come make her day."

"Why? What happened?" Brittany asked concerned.

"Nothing bad," Quinn replied assuring her. "We came out of the mall and she saw _Nursery Rhymes, _the baby store on Fairview Street and wanted to come in so we did. She's just a little down I think because she wants to be here with you and not me since you guys haven't really baby shopped yet. She's just in the washroom. Any chance you'd be willing to come and make her day?"

"I'll be there in ten minutes," Brittany replied before saying goodbye and hanging up.

Quinn grinned as she hung up her phone and stuck it in her pocket. She could almost sense the smile that came across Brittany's face on the other end of the line.

"Hey," Santana replied as she returned, taking the bunny from Quinn. "Sorry I took so long."

"No, you were fairly quick actually," Quinn smiled. "So are you going to buy that?"

"I don't know. When I was little I used to have a stuff green bunny like this, so I find it cute. Plus, since we don't know the sex of the baby, maybe getting green stuff might be a good idea."

"Green or yellow."

"I'm not a huge yellow fan," Santana replied. "Want to know a secret?"

"What?"

"I want to know the sex of the baby," she laughed. "I want to know so badly but Brittany wants on waiting, you know, for the surprise. I wanted to know so badly I almost peaked at my charts when Brittany wasn't looking. I didn't though."

"You were never the best at being patient," Quinn smirked. "Does Britt know you want to know?"

"No, she thinks I want to be surprised. I think at the beginning I thought it'd be a fun idea but as soon as they claimed they knew the sex I changed my mind. It's been killing me since."

"I would just really like to get blue or pink outfits, you know. Like buy clothes for the baby without having to focus on gender neutral clothing."

"If you got to choose would you rather have a baby boy or girl?"

"I don't really care I think. I'd love to have a little boy I could play catch with and teach to be a good man, but I'd also love to have a little girl I could dress up. I don't know. I was talking to Rachel a few months ago and she said she could picture me with a little boy and Britt with a little girl, but I see it the other way around. I feel like I would look good with a little girl, playing dress up, having a little tea party and Britt with a little boy. I feel like she'd make a real man out of him. Like he would be her best friend, and want to spend all her time with him. Either way, I don't really care what our first child is because I'm sure we'll eventually have both. However, I may not care what gender my baby is but I still want to bloody know!"

Quinn laughed as she noticed Santana heading back down the aisle towards the cash register. "Hey San, don't you want to keep looking around a bit?" she said attempting to stall time, she glanced at her watch; Brittany should be there any minute.

"What for?"

"Hello!" Quinn laughed, "did you not notice the thing growing inside you? If you didn't, it's called a baby and one day it's going to get so big that it won't want to stay in there anymore and will pop right now."

"Quinn-" Santana laughed.

"You know they won't let you take the baby home without a car seat right?"

"Yeah but-"

"But what?" Quinn shrugged, "there's no harm in looking around, you have to do it at some point."

"Yeah, but looking at baby stuff doesn't feel right or, I don't know," Santana sighed looking down at the bunny sadly, "it doesn't feel as amazing as I thought it would. This whole experience wouldn't be complete, even just looking, without Britt with me."

"Then I guess it's a good thing I am," Santana looked up and turned around to see her wife walking towards her. She smiled as she wrapped her arms around Brittany who took her in her embrace.

"How did you-"

"Quinn called me while you were in the bathroom. I had already come home early," Brittany smiled. "Thanks Q."

"Anytime girls," Quinn replied. "I'm going to head out though, I have some errands to run tonight. San, I'll come drop off your stuff from my car tomorrow. Have fun girls."

"Thanks Quinn," Santana replied as she watched her friend leave. She turned to her wife and smiled. "Hey."

"Hey," Brittany kissed her, "I like the bunny. Reminds me of the one you used to have, or still have somewhere."

"Somewhere at my parents but I'm not completely sure, probably in my closet."

"So I think maybe we should start shopping for some things for the baby, how about you?" Brittany said sweetly. "I'm sorry we haven't gotten the chance to really start looking but with everything going on-"

"I know," Santana smiled. "But it's fine, we're here now and we can look for things. Like cribs, car seats, maybe get an idea of colors."

"Right… colors…"

"I was thinking green, since we have to be gender neutral right?"

"Yeah…"

"What is it Britt?" Santana asked, looking up at her wife with curious eyes.

She raised an eyebrow as Brittany took her hand and led her to the small seating area the store had set up near the back of the store. It was sweet and pretty, Santana assumed they designed it for pregnant women who were shopping for a while and needed to rest since the further into the pregnancy a woman the harder it is for them to stay on their feet for long. She began to get nervous as Brittany had her sit on a chair and pulled up a second chair to sit across from her and took her hands.

"Britt, what is it? You're making me nervous."

"I have a confession to make."

"What is it?" Santana felt as though the color in her face was beginning to drain as she studied Brittany's face. When Brittany still didn't respond Santana became fidgety, "Britt!"

"I know the sex of the baby," she said slowly.

"What?"

"When you were in the hospital, while Dr. Turner was off call another doctor came in during the night to check on you, and she let it slip."

"So you've known for a while whether we're having a baby boy or girl?" Santana asked, more shocked that her wife had been able to keep her mouth shut than the fact that she knew considering Brittany was never the best with secrets.

"Yeah, but you said you wanted to be surprised, so I never told you but I feel like I've been lying to you so-"

"Britt, I want to know."

"What?"

"I've been dying to know since they first told us they knew but the only reason I didn't say anything was because I knew you wanted to be surprised."

"So you're not mad I know?"

"No," Santana smiled, "of course not, it wasn't your fault." She purposely decided to leave out the part about almost peaking at her charts once before.

"Good, I wasn't sure," Brittany replied, "it was the weirdest feeling when I found out. You were asleep and so peaceful and before the baby was just an "it" or "they" but now it feels like a person, with a gender and everything. It was so hard for me not to say anything when the baby started to kick."

"Britt!" Santana gasped.

"What is it honey?"

"You're killing me here!" Santana laughed.

"You really want to know badly don't you," Brittany teased kissing her wife's hand, looking into her pleading eyes. "You really want to know?"

"Yeah," Santana smiled, her cheeks rosy and her smile bigger than it had been in weeks. She felt anxious, excited and nervous. She was about to get the answer she had been waiting for for far too long. "Britt, is it a boy or girl?"

"Remember when your mother came over and she had her whole theory on the gender of our baby," Brittany laughed, "and she wouldn't stop ranting about how she just 'knows these things'?"

"Yeah," Santana said eyes wide, her heart pounding.

"Well she was right," Brittany said smiling as she watched Santana gasp, about to cry in happiness. Her dark haired wife flung her arms around her and held her tightly, crying in joy. Brittany held her back, locking her in a tight embrace. "Apparently mothers always know."

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><p>Don't hate me for the cliffhanger! I need something that will compel you all to continue reading! I hope you like this one. A little cheesy at parts but I need to make up for the turmoil coming up in Chapter 4.<br>Please review and recommendations are always welcome! I am hoping to get the next chapter up in less than a week but I make no promises. Thank you all for the support and lovely comments/emails. - Cheyenne


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own the hit Fox show **Glee**, nor do I own any of the characters. The following is strictly fan fiction. No copyright infringement was intended.

Plot: After Brittany and Santana get into a car crash, Brittany becomes overly protective of her pregnant wife. At first it's a sweet gesture but when her protectiveness begins to consume her life and affect their relationship, it's up to Santana to help the love of her life through her fears before the baby is born.

Please check out my Glee tumblr: auntiesnixtana :)

Note: Sorry if this Chapter has some spelling mistakes, I didn't have much time to re-read all of it.

Otherwise, Enjoy!

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><p><strong>What's Best For Her<strong>

By Cheyenne (auntiesnixtana)

Copyright: April 2012

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><p>"Can you grab that?" Quinn asked as she glanced at the door with a large punch bowl in her hands. Brittany nodded as she dried her hands and went to the front door to greet her high school friends. Since they had all graduated from McKinley High the group often got together for dinners or celebrations a few times a year.<p>

"Hey Britt!" she was greeted by a smiling, and like usual, stylish Kurt Hummel as he entered Quinn's foyer, followed by Blaine Anderson before she shut the door. Brittany embraced the men in a long overdue hug as Quinn entered from the kitchen with a smile of her own. "Quinn, honey."

"Hi Kurt," she laughed as she hugged him then Blaine, welcoming them. "How are the both of you?"

"Excellent," Blaine replied as he handed her a bottle of wine. "Sorry we're a little late."

"No worries, next to Britt and Santana you two are the first," Quinn replied. "Everyone is running a little late, but they should be here shortly."

"Speaking of the mothers-to-be, where is your other half Britt?"

"She's resting upstairs," Quinn said as she was inspecting the wine label. Kurt and Blaine always had the best taste. "She was a little worn out when she got here so she's taking a nap."

"She's having trouble sleeping at night," Brittany added.

Blaine nodded as he hung his coat, "I hear the third trimester will do that to you."

"I still think you should've had a nap as well Britt," Quinn said as she headed towards the kitchen once the guys had taken their coats and shoes off so that she could continue making dinner. The three of them followed her so that they could continue talking.

"I told you I'm fine," Brittany replied as she took a seat on a stool.

"You look exhausted."

"Well, I feel fine," Brittany shot. She sighed, the truth was she was utterly exhausted. She felt as if she hadn't slept in years. The truth was for the last two months she found it difficult to make it through the night, between her constant nightmares or Santana's insomnia she was hardly resting at night and working all day. So far there had hardly been any nights where Brittany didn't suffer from dreams that shot her awake in panic, or was woken by Santana's shifting and attempt to smoothly get out of bed. With a stomach that size it was hard to move unnoticeably. "I'll be right back, I need to use to bathroom."

Kurt nodded as he watched the tall blonde leave the room before he glanced at their host, "sorry, this might just be me but-"

"It's not you, she's been moody lately," Quinn replied.

"Now, I'm not exactly as educated as I should be on this but isn't it supposed to be the pregnant one who has the mood swings? What's going on?"

"They're going through a rough time right now."

"Oh?" the men exchanged a glance, "as in we-could-be-splitting-up sort of rough time?"

"No, more of a we-are-both-dealing-with-issues-but-refusing-to-talk-about-them sort of rough time. The scary part is Santana is the one more willing to talk about her emotions."

"Now see, that already triggers an uh-oh light in my head," Kurt sighed as he bit into a carrot. "Are you in the loop then?"

"Sort of," Quinn shrugged. "All I know is that Brittany has a lot of fears and worries she is bottling up and the consequences of refusing to talk about them is her suffocating Santana, which is making her agitated and uneasy."

"They've always been so perfect," Blaine shook his head, "they were always just on each other's level, in each other's heads. Kurt and I were just talking about how close they are, I can't believe they're having issues."

"Well, that accident really shook Brittany up."

"And Santana?"

"I have no idea, she seems fine, but I don't want to assume anything anymore with those two," Quinn said, quickly changing the subject as Brittany headed back towards the kitchen.

"I'm going to go wake Santana up," Brittany said. "If I let her nap too long she will have an even harder time falling asleep tonight."

Just as Brittany was about to leave Kurt smiled, "can I wake her up?"

Brittany paused for a minute as she stared at Kurt's big beaming eyes, "fine, but be gentle and wake her up slowly. I mean it Kurt."

"Yeah, yeah," Kurt nodded as he headed out of the kitchen, "when did you turn into such an aggressive mama bear?" He quickly headed upstairs before she had the chance to have a snarky reply.

Once he reached Quinn's door he slowly turned the handle and opened it. He carefully slipped in and closed it, careful not to shine the line into the room too long. He wasn't sure whether it had been Quinn or Brittany but someone had closed all the curtains and turned out all the lights, making the room as dark as it could be at 5pm.

He gradually went to the bedside and kneeled down beside her, gently placing his hand on her arm and smiling as she slowly opened her eyes. She drowsily grinned as she found herself staring eye-to-eye with him.

"Hey sweetheart," Kurt smiled. "How're you doing?"

"Tired," she replied as she was about to attempting getting up, Kurt shook his head which stopped her.

"There's not rush, rest for a bit, Britt just wanted me to make sure you didn't nap to long," he grinned as he walked around to the other side of the mattress and climbed into the bed beside her. He laid there next to her, staring at her, watching as she struggled to keep her eyes open. "I hear you haven't been sleeping much at night."

"The baby insists on kicking me every time I lie down, and even when the kicking stops I can't seem to sleep," Santana sighed. "Britt is testing these new theories on how to help me sleep."

"Oh, like what?" Kurt replied, knowing the more he spoke with her the more awake she'd become.

"Um," Santana yawned. "She has me exercising in the morning, or early noon, we've cut out what little caffeine I was drinking, drinking a glass of milk…"

"What sort of exercising?"

"Mostly swimming, sometimes short walks."

"Is it helping?"

"A little," Santana shifted. "I'm trying not to nap during the day but-"

"But sometimes you just need to rest," Kurt smiled, "completely understandable. Growing a baby is hard work."

"We're starting Lamaze classes this week."

"You excited?"

"Nervous," Santana smirked.

"That's understandable," Kurt replied. "Is Britt excited?"

"Yeah."

"So you two are doing okay then? I hear having a first child can be challenging for a couple," Kurt said, attempting not to give away that Quinn had mentioned anything.

"I don't know," Santana replied as she slowly attempted to sit up. Kurt was glad to see she was finally awake. "She's definitely excited about the baby, and she's been very attentive to me, just a little too much though I think."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know," Santana sighed. "I mean, I love that she takes care of me. She like, knows what I need and when I need it and I love that, but…"

"But?"

"She's being overly attentive and that part I'm struggling with. She watches me like a hawk, she is attempting to control me and everyone around me, and she's gotten really aggressive."

"I noticed."

"I know that the car wreck freaked her out but she's gone overboard and she won't talk about what's going on in that head of hers. I mentioned therapy once and she fluffed me off, but I really think it'd help her. I mean, she keeps waking up in the middle of the night, and I know she's having nightmares. She doesn't think I know, but I do, it's hard not to feel or hear her waking up in a cold sweat but it happens so often and she refuses to talk to me so what am I going to do? Her nerves are making her snippy and defensive."

"Hmm, snippy and defensive, that reminds me of a certain Latina."

"That's my point!" Santana replied. "Kurt, Britt has always been the nice and sweet one and I've always been the bitch. She's getting really aggressive with people, and it's weird because I feel like because of that, I can't. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah it does," Kurt said as he put his arm around his friend and held her for a minute. "I don't remember you being so big."

"Kurt!"

Kurt laughed as he saw her expression; she had always been so worried about her weight and being thin. It was such a change for him to see her so comfortable with her constant weight gain. When they had originally all been told that Santana was pregnant, that was the one thing he couldn't get out of his mind. He had no doubts that she would make a fantastic mother, he just worried about her reaction to her body changing from its normally thin and, in his opinion, a little unhealthy and underfed state. However upon getting pregnant he noticed that Santana was eating much more and much healthier which created a beautiful glow in her skin. She didn't seem at all to mind her body changing, in fact, she seemed to enjoy it, especially the larger her stomach got.

"I'm only kidding, you look beautiful. May I?" he asked as he moved her hand towards her stomach. She smiled and nodded. Kurt grinned as he placed a hand on her stomach, feeling the baby kick. "Wow, they kick hard."

"She."

"What?"

"It's a she."

"Oh my god Santana," Kurt shook his head unsure of what to say. "A girl! I- I thought you wanted to wait to find out."

"We did but Britt accidently found out. We're planning on telling everyone at dinner. We couldn't be happier."

Before Kurt had the chance to respond they heard a knock on the door as Brittany entered. "Hey sweetheart I wanted to make sure you're awake," Brittany stopped as she observed their facial expressions, "what happened?"

"Santana just told me about your baby girl," Kurt said happily.

"Oh she did," Brittany smiled as she entered the room, "did she mention anything else to you?"

"No, I wanted to do that part together," Santana replied as Brittany sat on the end of the bed and stroked her leg.

"I'm sorry ladies, but what are you two talking about?" Kurt asked.

"I guess now is as good of time as any," Brittany smiled. "Kurt, Santana and I want to ask you something."

"We know you're not religious," Santana added. "But we were wondering if you would be our baby girl's godfather."

The young women waited a moment, observing their friend's face, both unsure what his response would be.

"How is that even a question?" Kurt's face lit up, "of course I will! I'm going to spoil her so much. Who is her godmother?"

"We asked Quinn," Brittany answered.

Kurt smiled, "can I just say this little girl is going to be showered with so much love."

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><p>After dinner everyone had gathered in Quinn's living room for some wine and conversation as they usually did. There was something about gathering around on couches and chairs with a glass of alcohol in their hands and chatting that every previous Glee club member loved.<p>

Santana smiled in bliss. When they first sat down Brittany handed Santana a cup of green tea and slipped a heated pad on her wife's lower back as Santana rested on Quinn's recliner. Her back had been bothering her since they had started dinner so it was nice to just relax with a heater.

"Does anyone want any dessert?" Quinn asked as she walked in the room.

"No, it's alright, it's time Santana and I headed out," Brittany replied.

"Actually I'd like a piece," Santana smiled, not budging from her chair.

"San, it's getting late, we should go."

"We can go after I have some cake."

"You don't eat cake."

"Well, I feel like some."

"Santana, it's getting late."

"It's 9pm!" Santana replied, getting agitated.

"Santana," Brittany said, "I'm not going to argue with you."

"Good, then don't."

"Fine, we'll stay for cake," Brittany replied on edge, "then we're leaving, you need to get to bed."

"Britt just because I'm carrying your child doesn't mean I am your child."

"San calm down; I know your hormones are all over the place but-"

"No! No," Santana furiously said as she attempted to get herself out of the recliner. She silently thanked Puck as he helped her as she walked a few steps and stood next to her wife. She loved Brittany with all her heart, and she knew everyone in the room had suddenly become uncomfortable with their fighting but she was finding herself unable to take much more today. Perhaps it was her hormones making her so angry but she was sure it was just her temper finally rising.

For the last two months she had bitten her tongue around everyone. With Brittany constantly getting more and more aggressive and defensive, Santana felt herself becoming more and more passive, feeling as though they had switched roles and she hated that. She missed bubbly innocent Brittany, and she had enough of everything.

From the moment she woke up this morning Brittany had been on her back about everything. What she should wear, how she shouldn't stand so much, when to go to the bathroom for goodness sakes. The all through dinner she was making commentary about what Santana was eating and how she shouldn't eat so fast and what she should drink.

Now the curfew thing was the last straw. She was tired of feeling like a child. She wasn't Brittany's child; she was her wife, and a very independent wife at that. Sure she loved being taken care of as much as the next girl did but there were limits.

"Santana relax," Brittany said trying to put a hand on her shoulder.

"No! No I won't relax, I am so fed up with this Britt! I'm sorry but I am!"

"Santana-"

"I just, I can't keep doing this."

"Doing what?"

"You're out of control Britt!"

"I'm not the one raising my voice."

"Do you not see what you're doing? What you've been doing?" Santana asked, now lowing her voice, staring into her wife's eyes.

"Santana, maybe you should lie down."

"I-" Santana shook her head unable to speak. She simply turned and walked away, attempting to hold back tears. She was so overwhelmed with emotions she didn't know what to do.

"Santana? San?" Brittany called as her wife walked away. As she was about to follow she stopped, feeling Quinn's hand on her arm.

"I think she just needs a few minutes," Quinn replied. "Let's go get some fresh air-"

"But San-"

"She'll be fine."

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><p>"Santana," Santana sighed as she heard Rachel Berry's voice come from the hallway. After she had walked away, Santana went to Quinn's room to have some peace and quiet. Apparently that peace and quiet included some girl talk with Rachel and Kurt. "We just wanted to make sure you're alright."<p>

"I'm fine," Santana said not looking at them as they entered the room.

"You didn't sound fine downstairs."

"I've had better days," Santana replied. Rachel glanced at Kurt sadly then walked towards Santana, sitting on her right side as Kurt sat on her left. Santana stared down at her lap, not knowing what to say, what could she say? "I just want Brittany to be okay," she finally got out.

"I think she will be," Rachel said as she rubbed Santana's back. "It was just a fight, every couple has them."

"I'm not talking about the fight," Santana finally looked up from her lap. "It's other problems that no one really gets the chance to see, except Quinn if she happens to come over."

"What sort of problems?" Kurt inquired.

"She's making herself sick and I don't know why. She hardly eats, she gets no sleep and never naps, then she goes to work and comes home and obsesses about what I'm doing or just anything really. She's getting stressed and obsessive and I tried talking to her about it, but she won't talk to me. I'm under the impression she doesn't realize what she's doing," Santana said slowly and sadly. "I want her to be okay and safe. Happy and healthy and all that other crap. She is really hurting herself and I know it has to do with the accident and me but she hasn't even begun to move on or recover she just stuck and I have no idea how to pull her out. She's getting aggressive, and compulsive, and I feel like I'm seeing less and less of Britt every day. It's like she's putting up a wall. I mean, I know what it's like to put up a wall, I do it all the time and I have no idea how Brittany handles me but somehow she just manages to remove the bricks. But she's never had to put a wall up, but now that she has I have no idea how to break through."

"Sometimes it just takes time," Rachel replied.

"But I don't have time," Santana said. "It's been two months and Britt has just dug her hole deeper and deeper without a sign of recovering. I'm going to have a baby soon and I am so scared. I can't do this without Brittany. She's like my other half. When she's hurting, I'm hurting, and we can't be this mixed up by then."

"It'll be okay," Kurt stroked her arm.

"And we start Lamaze class soon, I just-" Santana paused, "I just need my wife."

As Kurt was about to speak they heard a knock on the door and silenced as Brittany and Quinn slowly entered.

"Hey San," Brittany said softly, "can we talk?"

Santana glanced at Rachel and Kurt, nodding as they stood and left, being escorted out by Quinn. Once they were gone Brittany closed the door and slowly walked towards her, sitting next to her on the bed. She took a deep sigh as she looked at her wife.

"Remember about a month ago you said you wanted to see a therapist?" Brittany asked.

"Yeah," Santana looked at her with a confused look.

"I think… I think maybe talking to someone would be a good idea."

"What made you change your mind?"

"Quinn," Brittany said as she looked away from Santana and down to her lap. "She said some things that made me realized that maybe I'm being a bit unfair to you."

"How so?"

"Just, for example, being maybe a little _too_ controlling," Brittany replied unsure of what to say. "Look, all I know is that I love you."

Santana watched as Brittany looked and her, and never took her eyes off her as she kneeled on the ground in front of Santana. She rested her arms on Santana's lap as she ran her hand over her wife's growing stomach, staring up at her.

"Santana, I love you more than anything in this world, and I love this little girl so much. I realized tonight after our little tiff and after talking to Quinn that I've clearly been on edge and I'm sorry. I've just been going through something, and I don't know how to deal with it."

"Then talk to me," Santana ran her fingers through Brittany's silky golden hair, staring in her eyes desperately for answers. "You've been bottling things up and-"

"I know and that's weird for me since we share everything, but this feels different and I don't know how to explain it," Brittany heaved a heavy sigh. "I feel like I'm living in constant fear and the only way to stop it is to try and control what makes me nervous. I don't know."

"Britt, are you trying to say you're afraid of me?" Santana shook her head, trying to understand.

"No," Brittany replied as tears began to fall down her cheeks. "I'm afraid to lose you."

"You're not going to lose me," Santana held her wife close and stroked her hair as Brittany began crying in her lap. For the first time in what felt like forever, Santana finally felt like she was feeling the real Brittany: open, exposed, without a protective shield guarding her.

As Santana held Brittany as she continued to cry she did her best to hold back her own tears, she needed to be strong for Brittany. Tomorrow Santana would book them an appointment with a therapist and finally understand why Brittany was so scared and know what was going on it her head.

But for now, she just wanted to hold her wife and let her know they'd be okay.

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><p>I hope you liked Chapter 4, sorry it's late being posted, school is hectic. I hope you guys are happy with the baby being a girl. I had a lot of tumblr inbox messages requesting both boys and girls so it was a tough decision! I've planned some very sweet, and cute Brittana moments to come, and some shocking events for the next few Chapters!<p>

If you want to see anything happen, or want to make a request please do so!

Please review and recommendations are always welcome! Thank you all for the support and lovely comments/emails. - Cheyenne


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